Micah Parsons, Packers' greatest acquisition since Reggie White, should similarly transform Green Bay defense

On Dec. 29, 2024, a frustrated Matt LaFleur lamented. His Packers, coming off a 27-25 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that eliminated them from earning a top wild card spot, had started too slow. They took too long to adjust, missed too many opportunities and were on the wrong end of a controversial call.

More than anything else, though, they were unable to put pressure on Sam Darnold. The Vikings quarterback completed 33 of 43 passes for a career-high 377 yards. Green Bay managed just one sack on Darnold's 44 dropbacks, its second-lowest sack rate all season.

"You gotta get pressure on these guys if they're gonna drop back that many times, and if you don't, it's gonna be a long day," Lafleur said, noting that it's simply too difficult to cover Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, among others, for long.

Two weeks later, Green Bay's season was over after a wild card loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and Lafleur fired defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich in short order.

It's safe to say Lafleur won't have to worry about a lack of pass rush productivity for the foreseeable future.

The Packers made one of the most stunning trades in recent memory Thursday, acquiring superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons from the Cowboys for two future first-round picks and defensive lineman Kenny Clark. Parsons, mired in a lengthy contract standoff with Dallas and owner Jerry Jones, received a four-year, $188 million extension from Green Bay, the richest non-quarterback contract in NFL history.

Parsons is worth every last penny -- especially for Green Bay.

The numbers paint Parsons as an all-time great. His 52.5 career sacks are fifth-most for a player through his first four seasons. Three of the four players ahead of him -- Reggie White, DeMarcus Ware and J.J. Watt -- played for multiple teams. Two -- White (coincidentally) with the Packers and Ware with the Broncos -- went on to win Super Bowls for their second team.

Parsons could make a similar impact in Green Bay.

Despite missing four games last year, Parsons finished with 12 sacks. The last Packers player to reach that number was Za'Darius Smith ... in 2020. Parsons also posted a 17.7% pressure rate in 2024; the best Packers edge player last year was Rashan Gary at 11.9%.

Best of all? The 12 sacks and the 17.7% pressure rate -- which would have made him by far the best Packers pass rusher in a long time -- were both the worst marks of Parsons' career. If that's a "down" year -- due to injury and the Cowboys having so many defensive weaknesses that opponents could focus on Parsons more than ever -- imagine what an "up" year could be in his new home.

Micah Parsons trade grades: Packers get this generation's Reggie White; Cowboys' franchise set back for years

Jeff Kerr

It's not as if the Packers haven't tried to address their pass-rush problem. They drafted Rashan Gary 12th in 2019, Devonte Wyatt 22nd and Quay Walker 28th in 2022 and Lukas Van Ness 13th in 2023. All three players have flashed but none has developed into a true ace.

That's why Green Bay's 54 sacks last year -- eighth-most in the NFL -- are misleading.

• Green Bay ranked 26th in pass rush win rate without anyone ranking in the top 20 (Parsons was third).
• Green Bay ranked 17th in Pro Football Focus' pass rush grades.
• 15 of the 54 sacks came in two games: eight against the Will Levis-led Titans and seven more against the Seahawks.
• Green Bay had one or zero sacks in seven games. Only the Falcons, Patriots and Panthers had more. Green Bay went 3-4 in those games, and all four of those losses were to NFC North opponents.

Parsons now gets dropped into an ecosystem that sets him up for immediate success (though a player of his talent would be successful anywhere). Gary was one of the NFL's most effective pass rushers from a pressure standpoint across 2021-23. In his second year under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley -- now with Parsons opposite him -- he should wreak havoc once again. Wyatt showed great growth as an interior pass rusher. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper was a breakout rookie last season, and both he and Walker have shown major pass-rushing chops. Opponents will have to pick their poison, but there might simply not be enough answers.

Especially considering Parsons is a pass rush all by himself -- a relentless one at that. His premier skill set is matched by premier competitiveness. With the Cowboys' season already lost, Parsons returned from a high ankle sprain in Week 10. Over the rest of the campaign, he had 11 sacks, 2.5 more than anyone else in the NFL and more than the Giants had as a team. He can line up all over, and he's the ideal match for Hafley's creativity.

This is the perfect move for a Green Bay, a team in the perfect position to make it. The Packers have immense talent at every spot on offense, and they have accrued some good players on defense. They just did not have that superstar, elite-level game wrecker.

Think of the teams that have won recent Super Bowls. The Eagles had Jalen Carter. The Chiefs had Chris Jones. The Rams had Aaron Donald. They're all players who can be the best player on the field at any given time, especially in the biggest moments.

The Packers are also set up to cover Parsons' lone, slight weakness: rush defense. Green Bay was an elite run-stopping unit last year, a testament to Hafley's work. In turn, Parsons covers up Green Bay's greatest defensive weakness: cornerback play. A ballhawking safety like Xavier McKinney can cover a lot of mistakes, but he can't cover them all. Parsons can make such mistakes not even matter. In an NFC North loaded with passing and receiving talent -- loaded in general, for that matter -- Parsons' impact will reverberate.

Parsons and White are the only players to register at least 12 sacks in each of their first four NFL seasons. Comparisons are apt.

When the Packers signed White in 1993, they were an up-and-coming team with a young, gunslinging quarterback (Brett Favre) and a tremendous safety (LeRoy Butler). They also had a superstar wide receiver in Sterling Sharpe -- something the current Packers haven't uncovered -- but they rightfully believed they were another defensive standout away from true title contention. Three years later, White had three sacks as the Packers romped past the Patriots 35-21 for their first Super Bowl in nearly three decades.

These Packers can win right now. They've already been knocking on the door, coming up one drive short against the 49ers in the divisional round two seasons ago and giving the eventual-champion Eagles a battle in the wild card round last season. That was with one of the youngest rosters in the league. Parsons, who only turned 26 earlier this offseason, fits right in with that youth movement, too.

Green Bay's odds to win the Super Bowl went from +2200 before the trade to +1200 after, per DraftKings, behind only the Ravens, Bills, Eagles and Chiefs. At +165, the Packers are also the favorites to win the NFC North.

Those jumps are warranted: Parsons is that good. The Packers, in turn, have become that good.

History has a funny way of repeating itself. A little more more than three decades after signing White, the Packers have once again acquired a pass-rushing superstar capable of altering the franchise's trajectory.

White helped lift Green Bay to a Super Bowl. Parsons is a rare, one-of-a-kind defensive talent who can do the same.